I am currently a third-year student in the Bachelor of French Pastry Arts at École Ducasse in Paris. My pastry journey began near Metz, in eastern France, where I trained as a pastry apprentice in a local bakery-pâtisserie. This experience allowed me to build a strong foundation in pastry, learn the fundamentals of the profession, and develop my knowledge of food technology and the science behind the products we work with.

I then had the opportunity to join École Ducasse, which allowed me to challenge myself in a new environment and further develop both my technical and creative skills. As part of my studies, I completed my internship at Mandarin Oriental Lutetia in Paris. This experience gave me a different perspective on hospitality, as I was able to discover how a large luxury hotel operates and how its different teams work together. It also made me more aware of the importance of organization and efficiency in a large-scale hospitality environment, and of the challenges and opportunities involved in making these operations as sustainable as possible.

Growing up on a farm, sustainability has always been something I have naturally cared about. My experiences in pastry and hospitality have made me look at this subject from a different perspective and have sometimes made me question the way resources are used within our industry. Rather than being critical, this has motivated me to better understand how hospitality can evolve and how I can contribute to making it more sustainable. I believe that, as part of the next generation of hospitality professionals, we have an important role to play in finding a balance between excellence, creativity and responsibility.

Camille is panel expert of the Student Voices panel.